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Taking a page out of Amazon’s playbook, the venerable electronics retailer launched its “Newegg Premier” program on Tuesday. For $50 per year, subscribers will get “free expedited shipping” of three days or less, early-access to sales, free and no-fee returns, and a “dedicated customer service telephone number” (all similar benefits to Amazon Prime). But unlike its competitor, Newegg Premier won’t give you access to Alpha House (sorry, John Goodman) or any of the company's other online media.

"We always seek ways to improve the customer experience, and implementing a benefit program is the latest example of how we're making it easier and more rewarding to shop at Newegg.com," said Soren Mills, chief marketing officer of Newegg North America, in a statement. "Free expedited shipping is in itself a great benefit, but beyond that we're including many other perks to enhance the shopping experience."

Newegg's announcement comes one week after reports of Amazon considering a possible price increase of $20 to $40 per year for its Prime service due to high shipping costs. Originally, Prime began as a service that offered free two-day shipping on many items for a flat, $79-a-year fee. But as Amazon has grown, add-ons like the Instant Video service and Kindle Owners' Lending Library have been rolled into the service. The price increase would be Prime's first since debuting in 2005.

133 Reader Comments

Not having the extra content that Amazon does is actually a big deal in this case. Sure the $50 shipping is good, especially if you buy a TON from Newegg, but it's not nearly as good of a value as Prime.

The other thing is that Amazon has such a wider array of items, far beyond the mostly-tech-and-a-few-other-things Newegg has. With Amazon, it makes sense suddenly to buy all kinds of things, from electronics to toiletries. With Newegg, it's specifically electronics really.

Still not a bad option, but I can't imagine it being nearly as successful as Prime.

I don't think I'll be signing up for this. I'm not exactly rebuilding my gaming rig or my home server every month. I just built a home server for $1400 and spent $15 on shipping for the case. All the other components had free shipping and got to me in two days via UPS ground. I won't have to spend that money again for another three years at least.

Nope not for me. Already screw me over since I live in Alaska and I can't get free shipping like on Amazon, but with Premier I would only get a discounted 2-Day FedEx, which is the only shipping option for me. With Prime, Amazon will give me free 2-Day shipping, so I'll pay any difference and get it all from Amazon.

This shipping crap is especially painful when I see really nice sales on NewEgg because any savings I might get, I'll payback in shipping and then some. Cheaper to pay retail somewhere else and get free shipping.

I can see this being of limited usefulness for myself. If I put together a shipment and combined shipping is near $50, I'd probably pay the extra, assuming that I'd get my money's worth in the coming year. It also makes Newegg more attractive to me.

Here's why I like Prime: I can do a lot lot of research on which item would best meet my needs, make a decision, and then order when I'm ready. When I'm in the store I may find brands/items I didn't research, and I frequently can't remember if the one I found online is better/cheaper/etc.

So adding a Prime-like feature to newegg makes some sense, although as other commenters have pionted out, the specific products available on the egg limit the usefulness somewhat.

They were one of the only companies participating in ShopRunner that I cared about. From the looks of it, they're still on board. If all you care about is Newegg, Premier is still $29/yr cheaper; but ShopRunner provides the same benefit over multiple online retailers.

Nope not for me. Already screw me over since I live in Alaska and I can't get free shipping like on Amazon, but with Premier I would only get a discounted 2-Day FedEx, which is the only shipping option for me. With Prime, Amazon will give me free 2-Day shipping, so I'll pay any difference and get it all from Amazon.

This shipping crap is especially painful when I see really nice sales on NewEgg because any savings I might get, I'll payback in shipping and then some. Cheaper to pay retail somewhere else and get free shipping.

Not to be rude, but don't shipping hassles just come with being part of daily life in Alaska? You have one decent sized city, and you're not even continuous with the main part of the US. I don't think they're "screwing you over" such much as making a respectable business decision.

Seems an odd choice now, but not-so-odd if NewEgg continues its push into more consumer goods. While electronics is obviously still NewEgg's bread and butter, I see more and more deals on basic consumer appliances and other non-geek objects in their e-mails. At one point I remember taking a NewEgg survey that asked very pointed questions about whether I'd like to see NewEgg carry clothing, outdoor gear (like camping equipment), etc.

I suspect they have a long play to become more general-purpose in their merchandise and less subject to the whims of the electronics market. This may just be a way to lock in customers early as they roll out new product groups.

I have Prime, but I don't stream or borrow kindle books, it's all about the shipping, so a hike that doesn't include a separate option for people like me would likely drive me away.

I might sign up for this, I wouldn't use it as much as Prime, but I like Newegg as a company more than Amazon, and I probably buy just enough from Newegg that I probably would break even. Some items I typically buy from Amazon I could get from Newegg instead, like games/movies.

I get the logic; there's been a lot of times where I've decided to not purchase something from Newegg because Amazon had the same price but it was on Prime.

But even though Newegg technically offers some of the Miscelaneous Stuff I Buy From Amazon, Amazon is way better at that in terms of price and selection (and that's fine, one's a specialty store and one isn't), and those impulse buy stuff are the things I abuse Prime shipping for. The stuff I get from Newegg are things that I really hope I don't have to replace or buy frequently.

Not having the extra content that Amazon does is actually a big deal in this case. Sure the $50 shipping is good, especially if you buy a TON from Newegg, but it's not nearly as good of a value as Prime.

The other thing is that Amazon has such a wider array of items, far beyond the mostly-tech-and-a-few-other-things Newegg has. With Amazon, it makes sense suddenly to buy all kinds of things, from electronics to toiletries. With Newegg, it's specifically electronics really.

Still not a bad option, but I can't imagine it being nearly as successful as Prime.

I find NewEgg is still generally much cheaper. If the purchases are mostly computer-related in nature, Amazon would be a costly way to go.

It's really sad that NewEgg's customer service has declined so much in recent years that you now have to pay for things that used to be standard when ordering from NewEgg.

Indeed. I had to pay return shipping on a defective product I bought from NewEgg recently. Nice that this is covered in Premier, but it's something I expect an online retailer to offer as a matter of course, not as an add-on.

When you order for a small business and average 7 orders a month like me it just makes sense. But I'm with the general consensus in that I don't think typical consumers are going to get on this band wagon. Unless their Premier exclusive deals turn out to be worth it. IMO that is the only thing that could tip the scale for typical end purchasers.

It's really sad that NewEgg's customer service has declined so much in recent years that you now have to pay for things that used to be standard when ordering from NewEgg.

Indeed. I had to pay return shipping on a defective product I bought from NewEgg recently. Nice that this is covered in Premier, but it's something I expect an online retailer to offer as a matter of course, not as an add-on.

NewEgg quietly implemented some pretty draconian return policies in recent years. You now have to pay return shipping and 15% restocking, even on defective items. Also there are many items like video cards and monitors that flat out can't be returned for a refund. I'm pretty sure that violates consumer protections in some states, but that's their policy. They never used to charge restocking, always sent a return label, and I even remember a time when they would cross ship items (which they did for me one time when I got a defective motherboard with broken ram slots). They also used to take things back no questions asked. You could return something simply because it was disappointing and they wouldn't give you a hard time about it.

Their shipping also sucks now. They used to have free FedEx shipping on most orders, and everything got to you in 1-3 days. Now you pay for shipping, and you'll be waiting a week or two for your stuff unless you go with expensive overnight or two day shipping.

I think NewEgg became very successful very fast, and stopped caring about customer service. I knew we were in trouble when I started seeing NewEgg TV commercials.

Shoprunner seems cool, but it's only available on certain items (on Newegg there's a little shoprunner logo under 'Add to Cart' if it's eligible.

All sold and shipped by Newegg should be eligible I believe. It applies to Newegg Premier also. I looked at my orders last year. 1 item was not shipped by Newegg, which does not have Premier or Shoprunner. Newegg shipped items have both icons. There still may be some items that are Premier only, who knows how many items that will be.

Amazon Prime is the same way. Not all items are eligible.

As has been mentioned, this is probably great for businesses. And only good from consumers if you plan to order from Newegg 3 times a year.

I have shoprunner and have used it with Newegg probably a couple dozen times over the last 2 years. Its supposed to take 2 days and yet in those 25ish times I have ordered from Newegg I am not sure a single one came in those 2 days. Its always more like 3 to 5 days.

I think this will obviously be great for PC builders. I'm tempted myself, because pretty much everything I buy on line is electronic, anyway, and Newegg has a few other things, their own associate program iirc.

I think, also, for those things Amazon has been getting more expensive. They've seemed to not invest as much into the core retail as they used to. Some tech items aren't sold by Amazon anymore. They increased the minimum shipping cost to $35 already to get free shipping.

But what hurts this is the Best Buy improvement and price matching. I live near a Best Buy.

And of course Prime is more than free shipping.

btw, if you get lots of books, B&N has a similar thing with their membership, free shipping, 10% off of everything, including coffee. That's $25, so newegg and B&N together come close to Amazon. They do sell quite a few things which aren't at newegg, books, games, toys, etc. The prices are not always as good, though, and I really make my money back with the coffee purchases in the store itself.

Sam's Club has shown how it can work without great deals, once people buy a membership they don't question it much. Though Sam's Club can do a lot more with unique bundling to obscure price differences.

It's really sad that NewEgg's customer service has declined so much in recent years that you now have to pay for things that used to be standard when ordering from NewEgg.

Indeed. I had to pay return shipping on a defective product I bought from NewEgg recently. Nice that this is covered in Premier, but it's something I expect an online retailer to offer as a matter of course, not as an add-on.

Must be something new. I had a DOA product that I contacted the manufacturer to make everything right.

Shoprunner seems cool, but it's only available on certain items (on Newegg there's a little shoprunner logo under 'Add to Cart' if it's eligible.

And even then there's no guarantee. I needed some stuff quick. All the items showed are being shop runner eligible. But when I ordered them in one of the NewEgg discount packages they shipped UPS ground. They definitely have some issues with integration.

Shoprunner seems cool, but it's only available on certain items (on Newegg there's a little shoprunner logo under 'Add to Cart' if it's eligible.

All sold and shipped by Newegg should be eligible I believe. It applies to Newegg Premier also. I looked at my orders last year. 1 item was not shipped by Newegg, which does not have Premier or Shoprunner. Newegg shipped items have both icons. There still may be some items that are Premier only, who knows how many items that will be.

Amazon Prime is the same way. Not all items are eligible.

As has been mentioned, this is probably great for businesses. And only good from consumers if you plan to order from Newegg 3 times a year.

Oh, that reminds me. I got the Amazon credit card for the points, and they don't apply to everything, either. Digital stuff, for example.

Not to be rude, but don't shipping hassles just come with being part of daily life in Alaska? You have one decent sized city, and you're not even continuous with the main part of the US. I don't think they're "screwing you over" such much as making a respectable business decision.

Beautiful state though.

Shouldn't be. It's not like one is shipping half way across the planet, or even across the continental US.

But there's plenty of large well established airports in the US that simplify distribution, and don't involve flying over Canadian airspace (or trucking across Canada, or shipping via the ocean). And if Newegg wants to build a distribution center, there's already plenty of places to put it in the contiguous US.

I know Alaska has plenty of room, but people would get kind of mad if companies started chopping down trees just so some people can get their packages delivered faster.

I think this will obviously be great for PC builders. I'm tempted myself, because pretty much everything I buy on line is electronic, anyway, and Newegg has a few other things, their own associate program iirc.

I think, also, for those things Amazon has been getting more expensive. They've seemed to not invest as much into the core retail as they used to. Some tech items aren't sold by Amazon anymore. They increased the minimum shipping cost to $35 already to get free shipping.

But what hurts this is the Best Buy improvement and price matching. I live near a Best Buy.

And of course Prime is more than free shipping.

btw, if you get lots of books, B&N has a similar thing with their membership, free shipping, 10% off of everything, including coffee. That's $25, so newegg and B&N together come close to Amazon. They do sell quite a few things which aren't at newegg, books, games, toys, etc. The prices are not always as good, though, and I really make my money back with the coffee purchases in the store itself.

Sam's Club has shown how it can work without great deals, once people buy a membership they don't question it much. Though Sam's Club can do a lot more with unique bundling to obscure price differences.

The B&N membership is terrible, most of the time the prices for books @ B&N w/ discout are STILL more than Amazon. Plus their stores never ever ever have any book I want to buy.

Costco > Sam's Club - better stuff, better deals, and they crazily pay their employees (basically doing the same job with similar profit margins) MUCH better wages.